1. VAA Application Network Mobility & Mentoring Conference, Lisbon Stephan Gilow, VAA

2. What is the VAA? Founded in 1919
Germany’s biggest managerial association
30,000 members
Acadamics/white-collar-employees from all professional categories
Core area: chemical-pharmaceutical industry and close-by sectors

3. What is the VAA?
The VAA’s primary goal is to represent its members’ interests concerning all labour issues
Legal Services
Representation of Interests
Collective Agreements
Publications
Networking
Co-operations & Benefits
Membership of the VAA gives you legal certainty at the workplace, allows you to plan your professional life and gives you an opportunity to help shaping your working conditions. The association regards itself as a service organisation, which is defined by its member-oriented approach. The services offered by the VAA are tailored specifically to the needs of its members, so the association can guarantee that members’ interests will be represented effectively.

4. Structure of VAA 8 Landesgruppen (Regional groups)
160 Werksgruppen (Local groups on the sites of the companies)
250 work council members
150 executives’ committee members
57 supervisory board members

5. History of VAA Application Network
2007: Implementation of the double-membership between VAA and GDCh
GDCh – Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (Association of German Chemists)
Professional association representing the interests of German Chemists in national and international contexts
Status 03/2017: 3,178 student members in VAA

6. History of VAA Application Network
Main arguments for students for a membership in the VAA:
Cross-company contacts and networking possibilities
Collective labour agreements
Information about employers, salary, conditions of employment et cetera
Legal service
What could be an interesting offer for students?

7. VAA Application Network
Arrange contacts with VAA members in companies, the student is interested to work for
No job agency, but provide information about the company, department, the job itself et cetera
Head start for the VAA members

8. How does it work?
Member is looking for a (new) job and finds interesting announcements

9. How does it work?
Member contacts the VAA office by phone or
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10. How does it work?
VAA office contacts VAA members in the company (head of local group)
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11. How does it work?
VAA member/head of local group is looking for a matching dialogue partner (education, department, experience et cetera)

12. How does it work?
VAA member/head of local group informs the VAA office about dialogue-partner
VAA contacts dialogue-partner to provide the name of the job seeking student-member
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13. How does it work?
VAA office provides the contact details of the dialogue partner to the job seeking member
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14. How does it work?
Goal: Job seeking member contacts the dialogue partner
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15. Conclusion
Mostly exercised by young members who have just completed their degree
Average of 4 to 6 cases per month
Each case needs a tailored approach, since the needs of the members are very individual